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Unsupported apps found in iPhone firmware

updated 10:10 am EDT, Mon July 30, 2007

Apps in iPhone firmware


Applications not actually available on the iPhone have been found in the device's firmware, according to an observer. In the process of searching through the iPhone's system preference files, the individual discovered five unusual listings within “Default ApplicationState.plist”:

  • com.apple.unitconverter
  • com.apple.widget.phonebook
  • com.apple.widget.translation
  • com.apple.widget.worldclock
  • com.apple.mobile.radio

Of these, the most aberrant are the widget and radio listings. While the iPhone has abilities similar to widgets, they are in fact native applications, leading the writer of iPhoneology to believe that the listings could point to atavisms from Mac OS X Tiger. They may also indicate future or unfinished features, particularly in light of the "mobile radio" listing, which does not have a direct desktop correspondence. It is suggested that Apple may later add software support for streaming Internet stations, or in a hardware revision, FM radio.


by MacNN Staff

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  1. climacs

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Sep 2001

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    07/30, 10:17am | report spam | Reply |

    fm radio

    I know there are a fair amount of folks who think all radio sucks, but I have a crappy little motorola phone with an FM radio built in and that's what I take with me 90% of the time when I work out, because I love to listen to NPR or a dance/house music radio station at the time I usually work out.

    Please, Apple... enable a radio in the iPhone. It does everything else, after all...

  1. cmoney

    Mac Enthusiast

    Joined: Sep 2000

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    07/30, 10:20am | report spam | Reply |

    re: fm radio

    the least they could do is support the iPod FM radio accessory.

    though I do wonder if part of the problem would be cell phone interference. if that's the case, they should let us do streaming radio but even that's not supported.

  1. rdecourtney

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2007

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    07/30, 10:34am | report spam | Reply |

    radio

    I would guess that Apple refers to 'Radio' as in the telephone connection, still miss used..

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiophone

    Rick http://friends.ac

  1. njfuzzy

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Apr 2001

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    07/30, 10:37am | report spam | Reply |

    Some of these are there..

    The phone book probably refers to the Contacts portion of the Phone interface. This could easily be a mini-app of its own, and this a "widget". Likewise, the Clock includes a world clock.

  1. Treuf

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 1999

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    07/30, 10:44am | report spam | Reply |

    cmoney

    Regarding interferences, there are actualy many phones supporting radio already (at least in europe) from nokia or sony ericcson. They use the headphone shielding as an antena AFAIK - and it works like a charm.

  1. zac4mac

    Mac Elite

    Joined: Oct 1999

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    07/30, 10:45am | report spam | Reply |

    @Rick -

    I doubt that seriously as the terms radiophone and radiotelephone are just a tad archaic. Much more plausible is that it refers to enabling commercial FM, a more remote possibility would be the inclusion of AM also. My take on it.

    Z

  1. ajhoughton

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Mar 2004

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    07/30, 11:18am | report spam | Reply |

    don't get your hopes up

    The hardware in the iPhone that talks to the mobile phone network is, technically, a radio, and what's more, electronic engineers often refer to those types of components using *exactly* that terminology.

    So for all we know, "com.mobile.radio" could just mean the built in GSM radio.

    Anyway, it's pointless speculating.

  1. poetic_folly

    Fresh-Faced Recruit

    Joined: Jul 2007

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    07/30, 11:26am | report spam | Reply |

    we've known this a week

    http://www.modmyiphone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1146

    We've had this info for a week...

  1. l008com

    Addicted to MacNN

    Joined: Jan 2000

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    07/30, 11:36am | report spam | Reply |

    even

    I think even Apple has referred to the phone part of the phone as the radio before. I'd be thats all this "mystery app" is, just part of the cell phone.

  1. udecker

    Forum Regular

    Joined: Sep 2000

    0
    07/30, 11:44am | report spam | Reply |

    com.apple.mobile.radio

    This does not refer to the radio in the phone - it is what "would" be used when an RF Tuner was plugged in (like the iPod FM Tuner). This is evidenced by the LingoToAccessoryMap.plist file found in the same place that this one was found.

    However, since com.apple.mobile.radio does not exist, you get the "not supported" error seen when the RF Tuner is plugged in.

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